China has made extraordinarily rapid gains in Southeast Asia since it turned its old confrontational policy on its head in 1997. The Dragon Looks South focuses closely on the past five years and is a comprehensive work that reviews all aspects of China's relations with all Southeast Asian states. Percival also distinguishes between China's goals in mainland and maritime Southeast Asia, deals with all of the major external players in Southeast Asia, not just China and the United States, and contends that various international relations schools of thought may or may not be relevant to Chinese-Southeast Asian relationships.